


The Courage of Our Hearts

by sapphicalexandra



Series: Sense8 AU [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-12 17:16:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12964425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicalexandra/pseuds/sapphicalexandra
Summary: The first time Lydia Branwell saw Isabelle Lightwood she immediately wished she hadn’t.





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently, Lyzzy in my Sense8 AU sounded too interesting to pass up on, so here is a side-story to recount how they came to be, how depicted in 'Impossibility Is a Kiss Away From Reality', which is a Jalec story playing with the concept 'if parabatai were like sensates.' Techically, reading that one would give more sense to the context, but you could just roll with this as a Human AU, since Lydia and Izzy are not parabatai/sensates in it, even though some aspects of that side of the story might come along at some point. Basically, it all depends how far this will go, which is not set in stone at the moment. This also means that the rating of this fic might rise and more tags will probably be added to it.  
> Either way i hope you enjoy this first chapter :)

The first time Lydia Branwell saw Isabelle Lightwood she immediately wished she hadn’t. For no other reason that Lydia was in the gym, in rather unflattering clothes, sweaty, flushed, her hair a proper _mess_. Not a first impression she would’ve liked to make on the utter _goddess_ she glimpsed from the corner of her eye.

The girl’s clothes, if appropriate for exercising, looked au-couture on her toned body. The high ponytail she sported made her lineaments stand out, her plump red lips striking over her olive skin...

The next moment, Lydia was flat on her back, Alec having taken advantage of her distraction to pin her down. _Damnit_.

“I think I win,” Alec said with a cocky grin.

Lydia rolled her eyes, as she took Alec’s hand to get back upright. Then, she had to do a double take as Alec immediately started to make his way towards _her_.

 _Double damnit!_ No, but wait, wasn’t Alec...?

“Hey, there,” the girl called out, waving at Alec, a big – _gorgeous_ – smile on her face.

Lydia felt frozen in place, a right _goblin_ , and she only wished she could disappear before _she_ noticed her...

Alec waved back, then he looked back at Lydia. “Lydia, this is my sister, Isabelle.”

 _Oh_.

If _that_ was resolved, it still didn’t mean that Lydia’s eyes didn’t widen as _Isabelle_ approached her with an outstretched hand, her shining teeth still visible. “Please, call me Izzy, everyone does that.”

Lydia cleared her throat. “Of _course_ , it’s a pleasure to meet you, Izzy. I’m Lydia, but...of course you already knew that.”

Lydia cursed herself mentally as they both chuckled, and she quickly took Izzy’s hand to stifle the awkwardness. The fact that her skin was so nice and soft didn’t help at all.

“So, _you’re_ the one who’s been assigned to my big brother,” Izzy continued. “I wish you all the luck. Like, _all_ of it. But also, since you’ve already handled him for months, just know that I _admire_ you.”

Lydia didn’t know whether she should’ve been flattered or whether she was supposed to laugh, but noticing Alec rolling his eyes, clearly exasperated at his sister’s antics, gave her the hint she needed. “ _Thank_ you, Izzy. Alec is sure a tough one, but, well...so am I.”

Izzy laughed heartily. “Indeed. Then, I’m glad to know that my brother’s in good hands.”

Lydia was suddenly glad that she had already been red in the face.

What was she _doing_?

 _Stop this immediately, Branwell_.

She would _not_ flirt with her partner’s sister. That ought to be against some code. Surely.

“Right, right, we get it. Stop telling people I’m terrible, Iz,” Alec jumped in, rather crossed.

“What? I’m just speaking the truth.”

When Izzy glanced back at her and _winked_ , Lydia could only open up in a conspiratorial smile.

“And I can’t believe you’ve been hiding her for so long, Alec. You should definitely bring her to family dinner! What do you say, Lydia?”

Lydia tried to ignore the shiver than ran through her at hearing Izzy say her name for the first time. “Oh, sure, of cou-”

“Lydia surely doesn’t want to get caught in the Lightwoods family drama, Iz. Sorry, Lydia, my sister’s just...”

“Yeah, you’re right, I mean,” Lydia cleared her throat, suddenly back to Earth from a momentary state of confusion. “It was lovely meeting you, Isabelle.” Why had she used the full name, if she didn’t go by it? Because Lydia wasn’t supposed to be her friend...not because she found it suited her better, right? “But we should keep our private lives separate from work.”

Izzy not-so-subtly glared at her brother. “ _Nonsense_ , nothing says you can’t hang out with us. You’ll find out I don’t take no for an answer, so I expect to be seeing more of you in the future, you hear that?”

Izzy’s freshly manicured finger pointed at her, a smirk playing on her lips as she attempted a stern look.

Lydia bit her lip. “Well...we’ll see, I guess.”

Izzy’s bright-new smile might just as well be worth it.


	2. Callousness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last place Lydia would’ve expected to see Isabelle Lightwood again was the morgue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, hasn't it? Here's more of Lydia and Izzy's backstory from my Sense8 AU.

Even more than the gym, the last place Lydia would’ve expected to see Isabelle Lightwood again was the morgue.

Lydia and Alec had been instructed to go retrieve the autopsy report for a double murder. Lydia had been so focused on the task at hand, so determined to come across as a dutiful, irreprehensible officer, that coming face to face with a familiar all-teeth smile caught her completely off guard.

“Hey, you two! So long,” Izzy greeted them with.

“Hey, sis. They put you on desk duty now?” Alec replied to her.

“Ugh, they did. But it won’t be for long, they’re already impressed by my bottomless tolerance for disgusting stuff. I don’t understand the surprise, since we all do the same job, for crying out loud.”

“Oh, I’m _so_ glad they think you’re weird, too,” Alec shot back. “What did I always tell you?”

Izzy stuck her tongue out at her brother, before turning towards Lydia, who was still half-frozen, processing the new information. She thought the buffering sign on her forehead would be visible, but Izzy didn’t give any hint of noticing.

“You still sure you want to be my brother’s partner? Do you see what I have to deal with every day?” Izzy asked exasperatedly.

Lydia snorted so unfittingly loud. Why did she have to be so _awkward_? “Oh, well. I think I have a bottomless tolerance, too,” she somehow managed to say, causing a musical laugh to escape from Izzy’s brightly colored lips. Lydia felt like she had just won something. 

“Iz, stop corrupting her,” Alec stage-whispered. “Can you give us the report or _not_?”

Izzy rolled her eyes, before she started rummaging through a few drawers.  

 “I – I didn’t know you were a…coroner, Isabelle,” Lydia said casually .

Izzy’s eyes landed on her. “Oh, no. I’m a forensic pathologist. But, you know, I’m just an intern now. Not for long, I bet.”

Lydia nodded quickly, an excessively wide smile on her face. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as one for this kind of…” _Shit_. “I mean, I don’t mean to offend…”

Izzy simply giggled. “Oh, don’t worry. No one thinks that. They all expect me to be like, a model or a fashion designer…”

“If only they knew how Izzy has always liked the worst slime-y stuff. Ugh,” Alec added, making a face.

Lydia laughed, sighing internally at the fact that her callousness had passed scot-free. She wouldn’t have been surprised if Izzy thought far less of her now, though; that she was a judgmental asshole or something.

But what did she care? Lydia had to ask herself. These were merely the necessary pleasantries to be done with her partner’s sister. Considering Isabelle’s job, more encounters _were_ to be expected, okay, but it would all just be _professional_.

_Stop forgetting yourself, Branwell._

“Here you are, your boring report. It’s boring because _I_ didn’t make it, of course,” Izzy said, handing the report to Lydia, who took it with slightly trembling hands. Of _course_ , their fingers touched. Of _course_ , Isabelle’s skin was as warm and soft as she remembered.  

Alec cleared his throat. Lydia quickly took her hands away as if she had been burned; she had almost forgotten that he was there. “Okay, thank you, Iz. See you tomorrow.”

“Are you coming?” Izzy asked, looking directly at Lydia.

Lydia blinked. “What?”

“We’re going out with friends to this bar, _Hunter’s Moon_ , we like it a lot. Alec, didn’t I tell you to invite her?”

“Izzy...” Alec glared at his sister.

Lydia knew that he was afraid Izzy was embarrassing her. Alec and Lydia had gotten along straight away, they _understood_ each other and each other’s boundaries. However, in this case, Lydia didn’t _mind_. Hell, if she was going to see Izzy again anyway, better indulge her now, so that she could realize that Lydia wasn’t the kind of person she wanted around, and everything would settle down.

“It’s okay, Alec,” Lydia said then. “Thank you, Isabelle. I would love that.”

Alec sent her a worried look, which Lydia responded to with an honest nod. She was grateful for Alec, really. There weren’t many other people in her life that she had opened up with. Or, no one else.

Izzy was clearly noticing their silent exchange, but she didn’t say anything until Lydia looked back at her, “Of course I don’t mean to impose, Lydia. If you feel uncomfortable you can go away at any point. But I promise we’re a fun group!”

Lydia nodded. “Alright, then. See you tomorrow, Isabelle.”

She turned around, forcing herself to tear her eyes away from Izzy’s kind smile. Alec followed her a moment later, after probably having said something else to his sister, but Lydia wasn’t that interested to know what.

“Hey, Lyd,” Alec said when he caught up to her. “Seriously, if you don’t want to come, my sister will understand, I can talk to her…”

“It’s okay, Alec, for real.” Lydia stopped on her tracks to better look up at him with a rueful smile. “I have to start putting myself out there at some point, don’t I? And your sister seems nice. Really, it’s fine.”

Alec studied her carefully for another long moment, before he managed a smile. “Well, then. Brace yourself, it’s what I tell you, _partner_.”

Alec bumped their shoulders together, and they were laughing as they exited the morgue.


End file.
